You are here

He Who Struggles

jallen

|

Faith

|

March 7, 2016

Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome."

-Genesis 32:28

The Bible tells an interesting story about a wrestling match between Jacob and an angel. After wrestled all night with this guy, he received a blessing and a name change. "Jacob" means "deceiver," and that word had described the tone of Jacob's life from a very young age. His brother, Esau, was the primary victim of his deceit, and there had been bad blood between them for most of their lives. In Fact, their feud became so intense that Jacob fled for his life and was away from his family for many years. It is no coincidence that Jacob's heart was changed, along with his name (it was changed to Israel, which means "he who struggles with God"), on the eve before a surprise face-to-face meeting with his brother. Esau forgave his brother, and a new relationship was born that day.

Prayer: We repent of our deceit and pray for honesty as we face those we have harmed or hurt. We ask all these things in Jesus' name, amen.